While many photographers train their lenses on the action in the ring at the rodeo, Berlin is more into catching the people and behind the scenes of these distinctly American events. As such, his gear is less about long lenses and more about being unobtrusive and working in the challenging lighting away from the ring without sacrificing image quality.

2. Sony RX1R II: My current favorite rangefinder-style camera. I prefer to maintain a small footprint when working at the rodeo. As such, I like shooting with smaller cameras, so rangefinders and Sony mirrorless are perfect for me when I’m in this world. I think smaller cameras inherently and organically put my subjects at ease and allow me to take portraits that are more natural and real.

3. Sony α7S II: I love the image quality of still photos from this camera. And since rodeo performances usually start in the evening and go on into the night, there’s no better camera anywhere for shooting in the low-light conditions in and behind the arena. This camera has allowed me to continue shooting long after my other cameras in years past would be back in my bag. It allows me to get shots that were never possible when shooting film or with other digital cameras.

4. Sony α7R II – My main work camera. So much has been said about this camera that all I’ll add is that its compact form-factor paired with one of my Sony GM, Sony-Zeiss, or with one of my Contax G film-camera lenses gives me unparalleled image quality in a very small, unintimidating footprint.

7. Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA lens: This along with 35mm and 85mm are my favorite lens focal lengths. Until the 24-70 GM came out, I rarely shot zoom lenses and I frequently still default to primes.

8. Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS lens: It’s just super sharp.

9. Sony α6300: Fast, though I rarely if ever shoot rodeo action. For me at the rodeo, this camera is more of a backup than part of the regular rotation.

Contax G lenses: I first started to shoot rodeo with my Contax G2 35mm film cameras about 10 years ago. Today, for the rodeo, I still use my Contax G lenses. Perhaps it’s out of nostalgia a bit that I still use them at the rodeo, but I’ve shot some of my favorite pix with them at the rodeo and they just feel good on my Sony camera.

14. Techart Contax G to Sony E Adapter

15. Sony FDR-X3000 4K Action Cam and Live View Remote: Brand new. Amazing image quality. I always like to have one of these with me because, well, action.

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About the author

Jeff Berlin

Jeff Berlin began his career chasing fashion models down the streets of New York City, with a camera. They knew he was here, it was cool. He liked this so much he spent five years shooting in Milan and Paris before moving back to NYC. Through the years, he’s collaborated with top fashion magazines and brands like Vogue Italia, L’Oreal, British Elle, Estée Lauder, Esquire, Bloomingdale’s, Miss Vogue, Macy’s, Vogue Pelle, Madame Figaro, and Wella among many others.

Recently, Jeff transitioned to motion pictures. He was producer and camera operator on the feature film Three Days in August, which played at multiple film festivals and ran in select theaters nationwide. It’s now available on major streaming platforms. Jeff has both shot and directed an online spot for the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), a fashion brand film for noted designer Norma Kamali, as well as a number of short films and online spots for Sony. His latest film project, Stormchaser, a short with an award-winning director, was shot on the new Sony VENICE motion picture camera and is currently in post production.

Jeff is an experienced aviator, a connoisseur of rodeo, and a Sony Artisan of Imagery. He enjoys photographing rodeos and airplanes, but not at the same time.

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